Pneumatic tired roller skate

ABSTRACT

A two-wheeled pneumatic tired roller skate has each wheel mounted on an elongated axle of at least twice the length of the wheel width and supported by ball bearings at the outer extremities of the axle, whereby the center of gravity always falls between the bearings regardless of the angle of inclination of the skate. The foregoing abstract is not to be taken either as a complete exposition or as a limitation of the present invention. In order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application, reference must be had to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings as well as to the claims.

United States Patent 1191 Nyitrai Apr. 15, 1975 1 PNEUMATIC TIRED ROLLER SKATE [76] Inventor: Ernest S. Nyitrai, 127 Lockwood Primary mm schonperg 1 Ave, Stamford, CQnn. 06902 Asszstant E1ammerl )av1d M. Mitchell Attorney, Agent, or FzrmBuckles and Bramblett [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 429,960 [57] ABSTRACT A two-wheeled pneumatic tired roller skate has each [52 U.S. c1. 280/11.23 wheel mounted on an elongated axle of at least twice 51 1111.121. A63c 17/06 the length the Wheel Width and Supported y ball [58] Field 61 Search 280/11.23, 11.22, 11.1 BT, bearings at h Outer extremities of the axle, whereby 2 0 11 BR, 111 R, 11.17, 1 27 1119 7 3 the center of gravity always falls between the bearings regardless of the angle of inclination of the skate.

[ References Cited The foregoing abstract is not to be taken either as a UNITED STATES PATENTS complete exposition or as a limitation of the present 1,983,869 12/1934 Nichol 280/1 1.23 inventim- Order understand the full nature and 2 445 2 9 1939 Burton 280/1 R extent Of the technical disclosure of this application, 2,479,255 8/l949 Fudge 280/11.23 reference must be had to the following detailed 2,525,905 10/1950 Johnson.... 280/1 1.23 description and the accompanying drawings as well as 2,529,314 11/1950 Schmid 280/] 1.23 to the claims. 3,355,185 11/1967 Carter 280/1 1.23 3,389,922 6/1968 Eastin 280/11.23 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PNEUMATIC TIRED ROLLER SKATE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has long been recognized that if satisfactory twowheeled. as distinguished from the familiar fourwheeled, roller skates were available it might be possible for roller skaters to more closely enjoy the freedom of movement and maneuverability of ice skaters. The desirability of resiliently tired roller skates for use on roughly surfaced pavement, such as macadam has also been suggested. Robert Warner in U.S. Pat. No. 2,909,375, issued Oct. 20, I959, proposed a twowheeled roller skate to simulate ice skates, while W. H. Edstrom in US. Pat. No. 2,168,820, issued Aug. 8. 1939, proposed pneumatic tired skates for use on rough surfaces. The prior art efforts at producing twowheeled roller skates have all suffered from a number of drawbacks including, among others: a tendency of the wheels to bind when the skates are inclined at an angle to the skating surface, as they must be when banking and turning; too much surface friction between soft rubber tires, resulting in greatly reduced speed; and, uncomfortably high footing for the user. An effort to solve the latter problem was made by Warner in employing smaller diameter'wheels embedded in a longitudinal runner like an ice skate, but this has the disadvantage of providing a rough ride as the small wheels descend into smaller surface irregularities.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Accordingly it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved two-wheeled roller skate.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an improved roller skate in which the wheels do not bind on their axles even when the skates are inclined at an acute angle to the horizontal skating surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved roller skate having enlarged wheels without increasing the height of the users foot above the ground.

A further object of the invention is to provide resiliently tired two-wheeled roller skates which are adaptable to skaters of different body weights without incurring excessive surface friction.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties. and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a roller skate according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view, partially in section, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a top sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1. I i

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now in greater detail to FIG. I of the drawings, in the preferred embodiment the skate of the invention preferably comprises a boot indicated generally at 10 which is secured to a metal sole plate 11 mounted on a die-cast wheel frame 12 which carries a pair of horizontal, parallel front and rear axles l4 and 15. A single front wheel 16 is rotatably mounted on axle 14 while a single rear wheel 17 is similarly mounted on axle 15. Preferably the rear wheel 17 is of larger diameter than front wheel 16, as shown in the drawing. and both wheels 16 and 17 are substantially larger in diameter than conventional skate wheels. For maximum performance I prefer to make the rear wheel 17 approximately 4 inches in diameter and the front wheel 16 approximately 3 inches.

Referring now in detail to FIG. 2 of the drawings, the wheel 17 comprises an elongated hollow cylindrical hub 18 having force-fitted into its opposite ends a pair of ball bearing races 19-20 by which the hub 18 is rotatably supported upon fixed axle l5. Concentrically mounted upon hub 18 is an annular thin-walled pneumatic tire ring 21 which preferably is filled with air under a pressure of approximately two atmospheres. The tire 21 is made of highly resilient material such as rubber or neoprene, and the preferred internal pressure has been found to yield the ideal degree of resiliency for the average adult skater having a body weight of from to I50 pounds. I propose to manufacture skates in different sizes, having different degrees of internal pneumatic pressure to accommodate skaters of differing ranges of weight. Thus smaller size skates have less pneumatic pressure in their tires. to accommodate skaters weighing less than I25 pounds, while the larger sized skates have a higher pneumatic pressure to properly support skaters weighing more than pounds.

By my structure which locates the ball bearings I9 and 20 as far apart as possible laterally within the heel and toe sections of the frame 12, the force of gravity of the skater in action always falls between the two lateral bearings at all skating angles. This is most important to assure free-wheeling in use and to prevent binding of the wheel bearings at acute angles as has occurred in prior art dual wheeled roller skates.

The front wheel 16 (FIGS. 1 and 3) is constructed and mounted in exactly the same manner as rear wheel 17 shown in detail by FIG. 2 except, as pointed out above, I make the front wheel somewhat smaller in diameter for greater comfort and balance as skaters must bend forward in skating. By the upward bend formed in the rear portion of the sole plate 11 the skaters heel is elevated in the boot 10, thus enabling the accommodation of a larger diameter rear wheel 17. This differs from conventional skates which utilize a standard heeled shoe mounted on a flat plate. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional heel line would be level with the toe portion of sole plate 11. In the present invention, however, the heel is. in effect, "hollowed out permitting a larger wheel to be employed without increasing the height of the skaters foot above the ground.

FIG. 3 shows in detail my preferred shape for the supporting frame 12 and the manner in which front and rear wheels 16 and 17 are rotatably supported therein.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intendedto cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention which, as a matter of language. might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A roller skate comprising in combination, a unitary rigid frame, a rigid sole plate mounted on said frame supporting a heeless skaters boot, said sole plate being shaped to define a sole portion and a raised heel portion, parallel opposed sidewalls on the opposite ends of said frame extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the sole of said boot and spaced apart a distance at least equal to the width of said boot, said sidewalls forming therebetween front and rear openings respectively beneath the sole portion and heel portion of said sole plate. front and rear axles mounted parallel to each other in said front and rear openings respectively and extending between said parallel opposed sidewalls at each end of said frame, a cylindrical wheel rotatably mounted on each of said front and rear axles, each said wheel supported on its respective axle by ball bearings spaced apart at the outer extremities of the wheel in close proximity to the adjacent axle supporting side walls, and a pneumatic tire centrally mounted on each:

said wheel and rotatable within one of said openings to provide a resilient surface engaging roller, whereby the plate below the heel portion of said sole plate.

l l l 

1. A roller skate comprising in combination, a unitary rigid frame, a rigid sole plate mounted on said frame supporting a heeless skater''s boot, said sole plate being shaped to define a sole portion and a raised heel portion, parallel opposed sidewalls on the opposite ends of said frame extending in a direction substantially at right angles to the sole of said boot and spaced apart a distance at least equal to the width of said boot, said sidewalls forming therebetween front and rear openings respectively beneath the sole portion and heel portion of said sole plate, front and rear axles mounted parallel to each other in said front and rear openings respectively and extending between said parallel opposed sidewalls at each end of said frame, a cylindrical wheel rotatably mounted on each of said front and rear axles, each said wheel supported on its respective axle by ball bearings spaced apart at the outer extremities of the wheel in close proximity to the adjacent axle supporting side walls, and a pneumatic tire centrally mounted on each said wheel and rotatable within one of said openings to provide a resilient surface engaging roller, whereby the weight of a wearer falls between the spaced apart wheel bearings at all angles to which the skate may be inclined during use, the tire on said rear wheel being of a larger diameter than said front wheel, and extending upwardly above the level of the sole portion of said sole plate below the heel portion of said sole plate. 